Katsuragi (current)
Katsuragi (current) is an antagonist of the 07 Ghost series. He is a member of the Black Hawks and currently holds the position of Colonel (sometimes translated as Captain) of the team making him Ayanami's direct subordinate and at the same time second-in-command of the Black Hawks. Katsuragi also acts as Ayanami's BegleiterKapitel 21., despite perhaps not fully recognized by Ayanami emotionally.The first drama CD: the love letter that God receives. Katsuragi at first appears to be a spy who works for Major-General (sometime translated as Admiral) Ogi as part of a mission to exterminate Ayanami after Ogi's team were accidentally killed by the Black Hawks because they were within firing range of their Zaiphons. However, it is later revealed that the Katsuragi who has been shown to the readers is in fact a loyal subordinate of Ayanami and his mission is to exterminate Ogi by pretending to be his (Ogi's) subordinate and spy. As of Kapitel 88, it was heavily implied that Katsuragi was the Ghost who infiltrated the Black Hawks, and that it is highly possible that he is Landkarte, the mysterious Shadow Man at Ouka's birthday party, as Konatsu asked him why he (Katsuragi) knew about the chandelier dropped at the ball when he wasn't present in the hall at the time. In Kapitel 89, it was confirmed that Katsuragi is indeed Landkarte. He seemingly killed Hyuuga and injured Konatsu, causing him (Konatsu) to lose consciousness, before heading to where Teito and Ouka are at. Etymology Katsuragi's name may have come from the Japanese aircraft carrier during World War 2 of the same name. His name follows the trend of the founding members of the Black Hawks being named after battleships. There is also a city called Katsuragi in Japan. In Japanese, 'katsura gi' (gi can mean trees or wood) can mean 'Cercidiphyllum japonicum', a species of flowering trees native to China and Japan. Katsura wood is often used to make boards for "Go", a board game that requires complex practical strategy. The authors may have intended this as a reference to Katsuragi's cunning personality. Appearance Physical appearance KatsuragiCharacterSketch.png|Katsuragi's character design. KatsuragiColour.png|Katsuragi in colour. Katsuragi has a relatively normal looking appearance. Though his official height is not given, he is a tall man, being the third tallest Black Hawk in the manga (after Haruse and Hyuuga) and the second tallest in the anime. Katsuragi has a slender build and his weight is unknown. He has a long, angular face, a long nose, a small mouth and full lips. Although Katsuragi appears to be the eldest member of the Black Hawks, looking at least several years older than the other two adult members with wrinkles around his eyes, he was shown to be the second youngest Ghost in the previous generation of the Seven Ghosts. It is possible that the surgery he underwent made him look older than he really is. One of his most distinguishable features is a small mole on the right side of his mouth. Katsuragi's hair is brown, cut relatively short with a few strands hanging over his face. His eyes are narrowed towards the tear ducts and a greyish-blue (greyish purple in some images) colour, and due to their colour his pupils are very hard to distinguish. In the manga, he has dark hair and dark eyes. 'Katsuragi' performed surgery on his own face in order to pass for the real Katsuragi. His original appearance was that of Landkarte, who had long, light-colored hair and light-coloured eyes with long eyelashes. Katsuragi also had a slender build as Landkarte. Clothing He wears the standard Black Hawk uniform, which consists of a dark blue, ankle-length overcoat with a gold trim on the neck guard, chest and sleeve cuffs. He has a small half mantle hanging off the left side of his shoulder emblazoned with the Barsburg military insignia, and golden shoulder boards on his right shoulder. Similar to the rest of the Black Hawks, Katsuragi wears black trousers, along with white gloves and black army boots. He carries a broadsword that is identical to Ayanami's with a golden hilt and a handle that is part of the underside of the guard. He is usually seen carrying a book. When he acted as Landkarte and was with the Seven Ghosts during the Raggs War, he wore a white hooded robe, and always wore the hood up. KatsuragiUniform.png|Katsuragi in his military uniform. Personality Katsuragi initially appeared to be a kind and mild-mannered man, being rather laid back and quiet, and he said he prefers desk work to fighting (episode 24). Katsuragi is always courteous when speaking to others (even to his enemies, e.g. Lance) and, before his betrayal, was well-liked among the Black Hawks. He was shown to be one of the most mature and reliable of the Black Hawks, and often calmed the more unconventional members of the Black Hawks down when they became hyperactive. He was often the voice of reason among the Black Hawks. He has a love for cooking, being the one who cooks for the rest of the team, eating (the child Landkarte always has snacks with him) and reading, often being shown with a book in his hand. However, later in the story, a much darker side of Katsuragi's personality is revealed. As the Ghost Landkarte, he betrayed both his fellow Ghosts and the Black Hawks, as his goal is different from them. His dream is to achieve a perfect world. At first he planned to erase hate from the world, but then he realized that 'love and hate go together, like the two sides of the same coin", so he decided that he will "erase both love and hate from the world" and "fill the world with darkness" (manga chapter 88). He thinks that if he can have Verloren's power, he can realize this dream, as he is "not as obsessed with feelings as Verloren". He is obsessed with the once perfect Verloren who didn't have personal feelings or/and obtaining Verloren's power. He can be thought of as ruthless and capricious, as he wil not hesitate to eliminate his own 'comrades' (e.g the Raggs War Relikt, Fest and Profe, Hyuuga) if the other party will spoil his plan. Relationships Superiors Ayanami Similar to the rest of the Black Hawks, Katsuragi has a high degree of loyalty to 'Ayanami'. He cherishes 'Ayanami' very much, confessing that he is 'the only one whom I love and respect', and is always respectful when talking with him. He is devoted to serving him, and values his welfare above his own. His devotion is shown as he was willing to disfigure himself in order to help 'Ayanami' achieve his goals. He is also very concerned with Ayanami's well-being, as shown when he became worried when he noticed Ayanami looked ill (second drama CD) and he made some nutritious, digestable jelly with Kuroyuri for Ayanami (kapitel 62). When it comes to work, they get on rather well, possibly because they have something similar - quiet, polite, very calm, prepared a lot before they made a move and good at doing desk work. Katsuragi is shown to take pride in working for Ayanami, and becomes pleased whenever Ayanami compliments his work. He compliments Ayanami fairly frequently, as he has said that Ayanami's Zaiphon is spectacular and he has a beautiful face. Later in the manga, it is revealed that it is Verloren before he developed feelings for Eve whom Landkarte loves and respects. Landkarte thinks that the present Verloren, Ayanami, who is 'too close' with the humans whom he met (e.g the Black Hawks), is not a match to the perfect Verloren who didn't have personal feelings before he met Eve. In manga chapter 89, it is revealed that the half of his soul whom he gave to Ayanami was in fact the original Katsuragi's soul. That's why even if he injures Ayanami, he himself won't receive the same injury. Ogi Katsuragi performed facial surgery in himself in order to look more like Ogi's subordinate, the real Katsuragi, and then took his identity. Katsuragi had pretended to love and admire Ogi in order to avoid suspicion that he was an imposter, but in reality he hated Ogi, commenting that Ogi's eyes were pathetic and with them he (Ogi) betrayed and looked down on others. Colleagues and other members of the military Hyuuga Katsuragi does not interact much with Hyuuga, but there is some evidence to suggest Katsuragi may not like Hyuuga, possibly because Katsuragi has a lot of self control and talks very politely, while Hyuuga is cheeky and rebellious towards Ayanami, whom Katsuragi has a lot of respect for. An example is shown in the second drama CD: Katsuragi sees that Hyuuga's sunglasses are tilted (because he has been sleeping during working hours), but he doesn't mention this to Hyuuga. After they enter Ayanami's room, Ayanami sees the abnormal position of Hyuuga's sunglasses, realises he has been sleeping on the job, and punishes him. If Katsuragi had reminded Hyuuga to fix his sunglasses before they entered Ayanami's room, Ayanami may not have discovered that Hyuuga had been sleeping. In Kapitel 89, Katsuragi seemingly kills Hyuuga. Katsuragi apparently feels no remorse for what he has done to Hyuuga, as he stood over Hyuuga and said mockingly: 'For you to die in vain, it's so unlike you.' Yukikaze Katsuragi is one of the earliest members of the Black Hawks, like Hyuuga, and because Hyuuga knows Yukikaze (first drama CD), Katsuragi should have also worked with Yukikaze in the Black Hawks. Since Yukikaze's death has deeply upset Ayanami, it is unknown if Katsuragi had a grudge against Yukikaze. Anyhow, Landkarte has a grudge against Eve for the reason that she has caused Verloren to become imperfect in the sense that he developed personal feelings, it is possible that he disliked Yukikaze for the same reason. Konatsu Before Katsuragi 'killed' Hyuuga, Konatsu has had a good relationship with Katsuragi. He relies on Katsuragi. In a manga chapter, when he sees that everyone is messing the work, he screams for Katsuragi helplessly. He also seems to like Katsuragi's cooking (e.g he eats Katsuragi's snack in the dream pot chapter) and company (e.g. in the first drama CD, he said it's a pity that Katsuragi is sick and cannot go to the hot spring with them). It seems that he does respect Katsuragi, as even when Konatsu is in deep anger and hatred when he sees Hyuuga being 'killed' by Katsuragi and took up his sword to kill 'the traitor', he still uses 'anata' (the formal, polite 'you') when he talks with Katsuragi, which is unlike him, as he used 'omae' (the rude, informal 'you') when he talked with his enemy (e.g when he fought against Castor). Katsuragi appears to care about Konatsu or will take care of him when it's within his power. In kapitel 70, Katsuragi even used teletransportation, which can put himself in a danger of revealing that he is Landkarte, in order to save Konatsu from a would-have-been-fatal sword strike by Castor. Although he is an experienced and cautious spy who knows what can be said considering the circumstances, sometimes Katsuragi seems to let his guard down unconsciously when he is with Konatsu, as shown in manga chapter 88, as it is because he said something to Konatsu that led to his secret identity as Landkarte being revealed. With reference to manga chapter 89, it seems that one of the reasons why he liked Konatsu and spared him is because he thinks Konatsu has a きれい (kirei, meaning beautiful or/and clean) soul. He said that if one day Konatsu's kirei soul become dark, he will entertain him. Karu As Ghosts, Karu and Katsuragi were friends. As they were the two youngest members of the previous generation of Ghosts, and Landkarte's age was the closest to Karu/Ea's, the other, older Ghosts asked Landkarte to teach Karu various things. At first, Karu felt that Landkarte was 'the type of person I'm not good with', and was initially annoyed by Landkarte's antics. Later, Karu opened up to Landkarte and they became friends. Karu admitted to himself that for the first time, he (Karu) had recognized an existence called a comrade. However, when Landkarte betrayed his fellow Ghosts and killed the Raggs War Fest, Profe and Relikt, Karu was evidently shocked and horrified. Throughout the ten years after Landkarte's betrayal, both Karu and Katsuragi remained in the military, with Karu keeping an eye on Katsuragi (Karu tells Teito that he has been 'chasing after my compatriot for the last ten years'), It is probable that Karu no longer likes or respects Katsuragi after his betrayal of the 07-Ghosts. At the end of Kapitel 90, Karu and Katsuragi come face-to-face with each other again, and prepare to fight each other. People affiliated with Heaven Verloren Landkarte said that he loves and respects Verloren, who, in his opinion, was perfect before he came to know what love and hate were after he met Eve. Eve It seems that he dislikes Eve, thinking that she caused Verloren to become imperfect, and doesn't want him to meet her again. (manga chapter 89) He apparently holds a grudge against Eve, stating to Ayanami that he refuses to let him find Eve. Abilities and Attributes Combat He appears to be a highly skilled and dangerous fighter when he fights seriously, able to fight on par with Lance (who was a skilled fighter himself) and to see through Castor (who was a well-trained assassin)'s move. In manga chapter 88, he is quick enough to cut three Ghosts' heads off from behind with a sway of his scythe. In the same chapter, he also defeated Hyuuga and is shown to be faster than Hyuuga. Zaiphon Attacking: Katsuragi has been shown to have an attacking zaiphon, and he uses his sword to manipulate his attacks, similar to how those in the Church use a bascule. He is able generate a wave of energy upon a sword swing. Katsuragi is able to do this many times in a row and upon close inspection he seems to be able to generate two waves upon a single swing in the anime. Healing: He may have healing zaiphon too, since in manga chapter 88 after a part of his body is swallowed by Labrador's flower, his body returned to normal when he headed towards Ouka. Others Teletransportation: '''This appears to enable him to move to any coordinates on Earth (or perhpas limited to the places he has been to) and any person he wishes to go to as long as he knows a soul's number, meaning his 'prey' can never escape from him unless he/she changed his/her soul number. '''Keeping a soul: He can keep a soul in his custody for at least 10 years (manga chapter 88). The maximum numbers of souls he can keep is unknown. History Early childhood Katsuragi was born into the noble lineage of the Reuen Family. When he was a child, he drowned as a result of being sacrificed to a river god and was reincarnated as Landkarte. Pre-Raggs War He is believed to be one of the earliest members of the Black Hawks, fighting in the Raggs War with his team mates Ayanami and Hyuuga. During the Raggs War Much of his past was revealed in a chapter in the manga. The man the series names as 'Katsuragi' is originally a subordinate to Ayanami and looked different to what he does now. When the Black Hawks were deployed to attack Raggs, they accidentally killed some of their own soldiers in the crossfire. 'Katsuragi' stumbled across the real Katsuragi who was seriously wounded. He noticed that the real Katsuragi was a subordinate of Ogi, someone who disliked Ayanami, so he surgically changed his own face to resemble the real Katsuragi and pretended to be him (the real Katsuragi) for more than ten years, waiting for an appropriate time to remove Ogi. His original name is still unknown. Appearances Anime Manga Anime synopsis Begleiter exam Katsuragi first appears with Ayanami and the Black Hawks quietly observing the students during the Barsburg Academy entry examination. A meeting about the Eye He is seen standing behind Ayanami during the meeting, reading a book and he later says how he looks forward to meeting Teito. After the meeting he is later seen delivering a report to Ayanami where he reminds him of his schedule. Upon Ayanami showing gratitude, Katsuragi simply replies that his words flatter him and that he is happy to be of service to him. Wars Attacks Katsuragi later appears in a meeting with Ayanami about the war with Antwort. Katsuragi was sent to the Church in pursuit of Teito Klein along with the other members of the Black Hawks and numerous members of the Barsburg army who infiltrated the Church to find anyone who can use the Eye of Mikhail and capture them. While searching through one of the long corridors of the church, Katsuragi is met by Lance whom challenges him to fight a skilled Bishop instead of the vessel of the Eye of Mikhail. Katsuragi agrees to the offer however states that he prefers desk work prior to the start of the battle. He attacks Lance with multiple waves of energy that are being generated from his sword swings however Lance blocks and dodges most of them using the chance to appear behind Katsuragi and send the Black Hawk Captain flying to the ground upon a swing of his Baculus. Later in the fight Lance comments on how he has noticed that Katsuragi's killing intent is not focused on him but rather it is still focused on Teito. Upon hearing this Katsuragi asks whether he can let him pass whilst he is charging at Lance however his attack is once again deflected which sends him flying backwards. Lance then remarks that now that he knows his intentions he obviously won't let him pass by. This is followed by an instant strike from Katsuragi that Lance manages to block at the last minute however at the same time cannot fathom how Katsuragi is able to deliver a strike like that after all the damage he has taken. Katsuragi then states that people are at their strongest when they have nothing left to lose making it seem that he is now taking the fight more seriously and plans to go all out on Lance. However the fight is interrupted by Teito, who warps everyone into Pandora's box. Upon seeing this Ayanami instructs the Black Hawks to retreat. Quotes *'Everything is at the will of Ayanami-sama.' '' (to Ayanami, in anime episode 10) *'This is my home-made health wine. From today onwards, drink this at breakfast, at lunch and at dinner. As a sanbou, you must take care of your own health.' Said to Ayanami in the Day of Retribution drama CD when he finds Ayanami has been skipping meals. *'(laugh) Oh, haha, no, no. Don't thank me. At the end of the day, I am your vice-Begleiter. Please let me handle matters of this sort (taking care of you).' Said to Ayanami, The Day of Retribution drama CD. in order *'Although I don't dislike your sort...(swings his sword at Konatsu) Pardon me.' manga chapter 89 '' *''I've changed my mind. I won't kill you. If someday your hatred turns your beautiful, clean soul into jet black, I'll play with you.'' "でもわたしがきがかわりました　いまはあなたをころさないであげましょう　もし... たったいまあなたが抱いたにくしみが あなたのそのきれいなたましいをまっくろにかわすときがきたならば　わたしはあいてをしてあげましょう"(to Konatsu, Kapitel 89) *'I only have one wish. If I possess your power, I can turn the world into something that is perfect..! '"わたしの望みはただひとつ あなたののうりょくがそなわれば このせかいをかんべきなものにかえられる...!!", Katsuragi says to Verloren in manga chapter 89 *'Here, the Eye you desire. Although I don't look like one, actually I am a man of honor.' ''(to the dead Ogi when he put the Eye of Mikhail in Ogi's hand) *'If I can't erase either love or hate, I'll just erase both of them. By doing so, I'm sure peace will be brought upon this world. Just like, welcoming death at the eternal bottom of the sea where lights will never reach... Because unlike Verloren, I don't have love or hate inside me. I can paint this world with pure darkness.' (to Karu in Kapitel 88) *'For you to die in vain, it's so unlike you.' (to Hyuuga in Kapitel 89) *'...Ea.' (upon seeing Karu again at the end of Kapitel 90) Trivia *He is good at assessing the prices of artwork.In a side chapter in the manga, Konatsu and Hyuuga take the "magic pots" they have bought to Katsuragi for assessing their pots' monetary worth. *In his uniform, he has a bottle of a type of alcohol which enhances health and is made by himself. Upon knowing that Ayanami hasn't eaten anything since the evening before, he offers it to Ayanami and tells him to drink it thrice a day, but Ayanami complains and says a soldier shouldn't hide such things in his uniform.07-Ghost second drama CD: The day of retribution. *He thinks that Ayanami has a beautiful face.Second drama CD: The day of retribution. *He thinks that Ayanami's zaiphon used for punishment is spectacular.Second drama CD: The day of retribution. *In the 8th Limited Animate DVD, there is a mini-drama which features Katsuragi and Konatsu, titled "kokoro no izumi" (literal translation "heart spring/fountain"). In the drama, they asked "whether the chicken or the egg came first" and talked about altruism. *It is possible that Katsuragi is also interested in gardening, as the wish he writes and hangs on the Christmas tree in Ayanami's room is "(To have) a vegetable garden".One of the omakes in ''Supreme Sugar. *It seems that he likes a type of Japanese food called tsukemono, as the wish note he puts in his Christmas stocking is "the best tsukemono in the world".An omake in manga vol 11. *It seems that he is interested in the hawkzile race, as he deliberately recorded it.Kapitel 70. *In Japan, some fans suspect that Katsuragi is a ghost because he used teletransportation in kapitel 70 and teletransportation was one of Ea and Landkarte's abilities; Castor has wondered who Katsuragi was as even he could not sense Katsuragi's presence. At the same time, Katsuragi is a high-ranking officer who had joined the army before the Raggs War and is someone close to Ayanami. In Kapitel 89, it was confirmed that Katsuragi is the current reincarnation of Landkarte. *The Chief of Heaven has said to Verloren that there's a dark part in him (Verloren), and he should stay in a restricted area avoiding contact with others, given the darkness can 'infect' them upon touch. Because Labrador has said that the Shadow (Landkarte) is complete darkness, and that Hyuuga said he has already been infected when Ayanami ordered Hyuuga not to touch Landkarte (manga chapter 89), some fans think that it is possible that the Shadow Man is that dark part of Verloren, and for an unknown reason it later separated from Verloren and could act on its own. It is also possible that Landkarte is created using that dark part of Verloren, given that the Seven Ghosts are made from Verloren's pieces. Fanbook/animation book related trivia KatsuragiMikageFanbook.png Site Navigation Category:Characters Category:Military members Category:Male Category:Secondary characters Category:Warsfiel Category:Antagonists Category:Begleiter Category:Ghost Category:Alive Category:Nobility Category:Gods Category:Reincarnated